Lightened up Fettucine Alfredo

A friend of mine raved about a recipe she made for Chicken Alfredo, wherein you used greek yogurt in place of heavy cream. I couldn't remember the last time I'd even had alfredo sauce since changing my diet! So I found a recipe by Rocco Dispirito for a light fettucine alfredo, and went to work.

This recipe was incredibly easy and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I grilled some chicken and added it on top. Mixing in some broccoli or peas would be a nice way to get in extra veggies.

Sorry, again, I didn't get a picture!

LIGHT FETTUCINE ALFREDO, recipe adapted from Rocco DiSpirito
8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine **big top secret: I don't like whole wheat pasta! I subbed regular pasta. Shh...
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (*Note: I used 3 fresh cloves and it was too much garlic, stick with 2)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup 5 percent Greek yogurt (*I used fat free greek yogurt and it was still plenty rich and tasty)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine; cook according to package directions.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook two minutes.

Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.

Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese until melted. Remove pan from heat.
Whisk in yogurt until smooth.

Toss fettuccine with Alfredo sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with remaining cheese. Serves four.

Shepherds Pie

We don't really eat red meat in our house anymore due to health reasons, so I'm always looking for recipes where I can sub in ground turkey or chicken. For the most part, either meat serves as a fine substitute and you can't taste much difference, with the exception of Shepherds Pie. I have tried 2 or 3 recipes previously, and the end result is usually pretty bland and I want some robust flavor in my Shepherds Pie.

I took to the internet for a new version, a saucier and more savory version. I found a contender at SkinnyTaste. I made a few changes and the outcome was pretty close to the flavor I was looking for. Sorry there is no photo because we took most of this dish to some friends in need, and we devoured the rest!

Shepherds Pie (adapted from SkinnyTaste)

Potatoes:
1-1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
4 tbsp fat free sour cream (*original recipe calls for 2 tbsp, but I like my potatoes creamy)
salt and pepper
paprika
*grated parmesan cheese, to taste (*not included in original recipe)

Filling:
1 lb lean ground turkey (*original recipe calls for lean ground beef)
1 tsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
*8 oz mushrooms, diced (we are not mushroom lovers, so I cut these out entirely)
10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans)
2 tbsp flour
1 cup fat free beef broth
4 tsp tomato paste (*original recipe calls for 2 tsp, but I was wanting more robust flavor and added more)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (*original recipe calls for 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (*original recipe calls for 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in water until cooked and soft. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large saute pan brown meat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate. Discard any fat in the pan, add oil, onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, chopped meat and mix well. Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes.

Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 11x7 glass baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes, using a fork to scrape the top to make ridges and sprinkle with paprika and grated parmesan. Bake 20 minutes or until potatoes turn golden. Remove from oven and let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin granola bars

please excuse the iPhone photo

In an attempt to make granola bars, I stumbled on a recipe for pumpkin granola bars on Two Peas and their Pod. The recipe was straight forward, didn't contain too much sugar and my oven was already preheated from dinner. So I gave them a try and was pretty pleased with how easy and tasty they were.

Much like the last pumpkin recipe I shared, I don't feel that the actual pumpkin flavor is that strong in these bars, which isn't a bad thing. They are spicy, applesauce-y, and cinnamon-y. 3 cheers for made up adjectives!

Pumpkin Granola Bars (adapted from Two Peas and their Pod)
3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don't want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and enjoy!